Dina, Razan
After completing this chapter, students will be able to:
—- Understand the nature of the control cycle and four key steps in a general project control model.
—- Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of common project evaluation and control methods.
—- Understand how Earned Value Management can assist project tracking and evaluation.
—- Use Earned Value Management for project portfolio analysis.
—- Understand behavioral concepts and other human issues in evaluation and control.

- Control Cycle - a general model
- Monitoring Project Performance
- Earned Value Management


Project Monitoring, Evaluation and Control – What is the difference?

It can take some time to understand the difference between the big three, that are often misunderstood by managers as a separate activity, often referred to as M&E. Often within large development projects, M&E run separately from the project implementation team.
Its important for those involved to understand their roles and responsibilities and that project reporting can occur in addition to M&E activities, which might not be the case in other commercial projects. Ideally a development project would have these activities tightly integrated with project managers working very closely with M&E personnel to avoid conflict between these two areas of an operation. M&E activities can occur months after a project has transitioned and closed.
Here is how I learnt to differentiate: Monitor the work, Evaluate the results, then Controlthe changes needed for continual improvement.
  • Progress Monitoring - Passively watching, changes nothing, continuous review,Activities and Outputs – Lower Levels of the Logical Framework.
  • Evaluating at a higher level within the Logical framework – Goals and Outcomes that take some thought and expertise to analyse.
  • Control the decisions and changes made as a result to manage variances identified during implementationexternal image image.png?w=625


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evaluation:


analysis of completed or ongoing activities that determine or support management accountability , effectiveness and efficiency.


Factors to evaluate

  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Outcomes and impacts
  • Benefits
  • Learning
  • Effectiveness of the project

Types of Evaluations:
Formative
A formative evaluation is a method for judging the worth of a program while the program activities are forming (in progress). This part of the evaluation focuses on the process.


Formative Evaluation questions:

  • Have milestones been met on schedule?
  • What is holding up progress?
  • What should we do to correct this?
  • Is project management effective?

Summative
A summative evaluation is a method of judging the worth of a program at the end of the program activities. The focus is on the outcome.

Summative Evaluation questions:

  • Have objectives been met?
  • Have outcomes been achieved?
  • What impact did the project have?
  • What benefits are there for stakeholders?
  • Was our approach effective?
  • What lessons have we learned?
  • What would we do differently?